Colors

Jack the Ripper tilted and began to fall towards the ground as Heracles towered over him. The large god moved to land the finishing blow, when Jack pivoted on his heel, striking forward with both his hands and pierced straight through Heracles' chest.

"Dear God."

Heracles' blood splattered onto Jack's face, but his composure remained. His entire appearance was disheveled, white hair stained with block while his eyes, one red and one blue, were dim. His prominent mustache looked wilted with how drained he was from the fight.

"That is the name of this technique. I dedicate it to you," Jack said quietly to Heracles.

Heracles grinned, spitting up blood as he looked down at Jack. "What's the color of my heart now?"

Jack looked at the god through his red eye. Soul Eye was its name, letting him perceive people's emotions as colors on a spectrum. 

Jack watched as Heracles began to swing his arms. "No, I've lost." He knew he couldn't move, and this match could only end in a mutual killing. 

Heracles' arms closed in, but he wrapped him tightly in a hug instead of striking Jack. "I...love...humans!"

Jack stared up at Heracles, eyes wide as he muttered, "O God!" Heracles' body began to glow, turning to crystal as it shattered before his eyes. "That was a fantastic fight."

Heracles began to disappear as he said one last thing to Jack. "I'm sorry that I shouted at you."

Jack held his hands up, watching as Heracles died. "I wonder what color my emotions are right now."

Jack could vaguely hear the announcer saying he had won, but he was too dazed to think about it. His head felt like, his attention drawn to the gloves, which were a transformed Valkyrie who'd been his weapon for this bout, Hlokk.

They formed the image of a young-looking girl clad in a dress with long orange hair put up in pigtails. Her body was covered in blood, leftover from when he had pierced through Heracles' chest.

"How are you feeling young lady?" Jack asked.

Hlokk pouted, crossing her arms as she looked at him. "What about you? How does it feel to kill a god?"

Jack looked down at his hands, pondering the question for a moment. "I'm not sure, I've never felt this emotion before."

"Wow, you can't even show sadness at a time like this. You really are such a pitiable person," the Valkyrie said.

Jack looked over at her in surprise. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands, pondering her statement. "I am?"

That was when all the stress from the battle hit him as his body wobbled. Vaguely, in the distance he could hear the sounds of all of humanity and the gods who were watching cursing his name. Jack listened to the noise, and an eerie calm came over him as he smiled quietly to himself. He tilted his head down, bowing to the crowd who cursed his name, throwing trash and rocks at him before he keeled over and his vision faded to black.

----

When Jack could see again he'd found himself somehow reborn as a baby. He didn't spend long pondering the hows of it all, instead, he grew interested in the new world he had found himself in.

In a twist of irony, he'd been reborn with the name Jack Schnee. His new family had a naming convention where the daughters were named similarly to their mother, while he was named similarly to his father. His father's name was Jacques Schnee, the head of a major corporation in this new world, while his mother's name was Willow. When he'd first been reborn he'd only had one older sister named Winter, who was two years older than him. A couple of years later, his younger sister, Weiss, was also born.

His appearance stuck to the trend of his new family, for the most part. He had white hair and a pale complexion, but where he differed was that instead of having two blue eyes, one of his was red. Even in death, his Soul Eye accompanied him, and with it, his ability to perceive people's emotions as colors.

At the age of six, Jack had settled into his new life, but he was beginning to grow antsy. He hadn't gotten to see his favorite color, that pure expression of fear on a person as they died, since he had been reborn. He'd wanted to get stock of his new surroundings, and there were complications as this new world was much different than his old one.

People here could awaken Aura, a power that came from their soul that formed a barrier around their body and enhanced their capabilities. He was able to see it with his Soul Eye, a shroud wrapped around certain people's bodies. He'd grown interested in having his unlocked, but he'd been told he'd have to wait until he was six. The age seemed arbitrary to him, but that was when Winter had gotten hers unlocked so he'd settled for simply learning what he could in the meantime.

Right now he was sitting in the Schnee family library, flipping through the different literature this world had to offer. He'd gotten a good grasp on the general history and society of this world, so now he'd been able to lean more into the books he truly enjoyed. In his old world, the works of Shakespeare had been some of his favorites. He didn't exist in this new world, but Jack was searching for a facsimile that would suit him well.

His reading was interrupted by the door to the library opening and his older sister walked in. At the age of eight, Winter had already had a certain poise drilled into her by her father. She walked confidently, her long white hair and blue eyes coming across as overly serious to most, although when she looked at him her eyes lit up, and the overall tenseness she carried disappeared.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, making her way over and moving behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug as he sat in his chair. Jack's singular red eye looked at her, her emotions displayed to him openly. He recognized her stress and anxiety, alongside the supposed love she had towards him. He'd learned better though, he'd seen that same emotion from his original mother, until he'd found out he was simply perceiving her love for his father and she cared little for him.

"Hello Winter, today's the day I presume."

Winter looked at him with some amusement, nodding her head. "You still talk like an old man, but yes. Father decided that I would be the one to awaken your aura."

Jack stood up, while Winter stepped back and let him put his book away on the shelf next to him. "Well then, I suppose we should go outside."

Winter and he walked side by side as they exited the library. As they made their way out into the rest of the mansion, Winter's composure once again returned to that cold, poised manner she carried herself with previously. Jack was well aware Jacques had drilled it into her that she had to make sure people perceived her a certain way as they heir. He'd never bothered to do that with Jack, simply telling him to make sure not to shame the Schnee family before leaving him to his own devices.

As they walked, they passed by a room where Weiss and Willow were sitting. At the age of four, Weiss was content to listen as her mother read her a story. His new mother was caring for her children, affectionately complying with most of Weiss' requests in particular. Jack himself was leery of getting too involved with her, his own past experiences teaching him that no matter how a mother acted, even if you perceived her supposed love, he might have been misinterpreting her emotions.

"Oh, Winter is going to awaken your aura now?" Willow asked seeing the two of them.

"Yes, we were just going outside so that I could," Winter answered, and Weiss' face lit up.

She scrambled to her feet and made her way over to them. Her white hair and blue eyes made her look much like a younger version of Winter. She was dressed in a white dress with blue leggings underneath and she had a smile on her face as she walked over and tugged on Winter's clothes.

"Lemme come."

Winter smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, you can come. Did you want to come as well, mother?"

Willow shook her head, a fond smile on her face as she looked at the three of them. "No, I'll let you kids have your fun. You've already been well-versed on how to do it right?"

"Yes, Father had my instructor teach me properly."

"Then have fun you three."

The group of three made their way out into the yard of the Schnee mansion. Weiss moved to the side, standing and looking at Winter and Jack as Winter placed her hands on his shoulders.

"You should feel it in just a moment." Winter began to concentrate and her aura appeared around her. Her aura's color was light blue, and the shroud wrapped around her as she put it into motion. Jack watched as her aura made its way towards his body, seemingly wrapping around him for a moment before he saw a sharp decline in its amount.

That was when he could feel it. From his soul, he began to produce his aura. Surprisingly to the other two, but not to Jack, his aura was red. He could see it wrapped around his body and he took a moment to enjoy the increased strength he was feeling. His body had felt so weak since he'd been reborn, especially compared to when he'd fought in Ragnarok, but now he no longer felt completely weak.

'How fitting, this color of mine.'

Winter began to wobble and he moved forward to catch her, holding her up as she took a moment to compose herself. Jack could see that her aura was severely depleted, the awakening having taken a lot out of her.

"I'm fine, it was just more exhausting than I thought it would be." She slowly recovered, standing up on her own as Weiss came over and began to fuss over her and check if she was okay.

"I'm fine Weiss, I promise." Winter then turned back towards Jack and looked at him curiously. "So, how does having an aura feel? Red is a little surprising, I thought it'd be blue like mine."

Jack stretched his arms, enjoying the feeling of having an aura. He couldn't help but think of the possibilities now that he had a shroud built to protect him. It wouldn't change how meticulous he was, though. The thought of a straight-up fair fight was never a consideration for him, better to think strategically and turn everything in his favor.

"It feels great, thank you, Winter."

The older girl grinned and leaned on him as he helped her inside. Weiss took up her other side, and the two brought their older sister into the sitting room.

"I'm fine, just give me a little bit to recover," Winter insisted, lying down on the sofa.

Weiss jumped up, smiling brightly. "Oh, I'll read you a book while you recover. Momma's been teaching me." She then took off running, Winter calling out to her to slow down as she raced towards her room to grab her book.

"Excitable isn't she," Jack commented idly.

A small smile appeared on Winter's face as she looked to where Weiss had left. "Yes, she certainly is." Something seemed to occur to her though, as she looked back to Jack. "You're supposed to see father today, right?"

"I believe he wishes to begin instilling in me the proper etiquette someone of my station should have."

Winter's brow furrowed as she listened to him. "How do you even know half of those words?"

An enigmatic grin was the only response she received.

"Well then, I'll be heading off then," Jack said, standing up.

Winter hesitated for a moment before she said something. "Just don't take anything he says too hard, okay?"

Jack turned on his heel, giving her a toothy grin as he mimed bowing. "I will do my best."

He made his way out of the room and hummed a light tune as he walked. He had seldom had one-on-one interactions with his new father. In his previous life, he'd grown up in a brothel with only his mother's company, alongside Anne, another prostitute, who would look after him. He'd never even met his father until he decided to track him down and kill him.

This all meant he didn't have much experience with a patriarchal figure in his life, and so far it seemed that Jacques had little interest in his children, other than training Winter as his heir to the Schnee Dust Company.

When he made it to his father's study, he knocked lightly on the door and heard a faint call of "Come in."

When he walked inside, he found his father sitting behind a desk looking through some paperwork. He was a decently tall man with black hair that had begun to turn white in places, which ironically made him look more like his children, all of whom had inherited the Schnee hair color from their mother. Everything about Jacques Schnee's temperament was harsh, from the way he carried himself to his gaze.

"Take a seat, Jack," Jacques said, gesturing to the seat across from him. Jack obliged, sitting across from the man and looking at him expectantly.

"You're aura has been awakened now by Winter. I'll be expecting you to get a handle on it properly."

Jack listened quietly while taking in the words of the older man. "Of course, I will devote myself to gaining a proper understanding of Aura."

"Good. Of all my children you seem to take to the proper behavior of a Schnee the best, I expect you to continue displaying that behavior. All of you will begin getting more involved in the company as you get older." At this point, Jacques put on an encouraging smile while looking at Jack. "I have high hopes for you, so do your best."

Through his Soul Eye, Jack could see just how fake those words were. When he looked at Jacques, he never saw even the color of love he'd seen his mother display for his father in his previous life. This man was cold, his most common emotion being apathy, only at times replaced by anger or frustration depending on his surroundings. He was seldom happy, and from the rumors Jack had been able to gather, the workers the company employed, particularly the Faunus, tended to feel the effects of that wrath.

He nodded to his father all the same in agreement. "Good, then you're dismissed."

Jack took his leave from the man's office, faintly hearing him resume a call on his Scroll, which was this world's version of a phone. As he made his way back through he halls, he considered what he wanted to accomplish now.

'It's all very exciting. Aura, dust, semblances. I wonder what mine will be. Soon, I'll need to go out and find a chance to see my favorite color again, it's been such a long time.'

He could've killed one of the maids, but he preferred not to operate in a place that was so easy to tie back to him. At the same time, there just wasn't the same satisfaction in killing someone innocent as there was in killing someone guilty. The innocent tended to feel fear when they died, but most never truly felt safe and thus it didn't come with that extra tinge of despair at the unexpected outcome.

Those who were guilty of crimes felt that they were untouchable. They were the ones who gave the most vibrant color of fear as the life ebbed out of them. They were his favorite targets, and he needed to find someone to properly fulfill his desire.

'All in due time.'

----

Another year passed as Jack got a handle on using his Aura properly. He'd joined the instruction that Winter received from a member of Atlas' military, but he'd quickly outpaced her. It was to be expected, he was decades her senior mentally and it hadn't taken him long to get a handle on his aura. He was above average in aura amount, most likely attributed to how strong his soul was due to his reincarnation and status from when he participated in Ragnarok.

He'd spent most of his time confined to the mansion, only leaving on short trips with his mother and siblings on occasion. Today was another day for one of those trips. Winter was going to be undergoing instruction in handling the business from Jacques, so it would be Willow, Weiss, and himself who would be going into the city to shop.

"I wanna get a new dress," Weiss said excitedly as she held his hand. The two of them walked through the streets of Atlas, the largest city in the Kingdom of Atlas. She hummed a little tune as she skipped, swinging her arm that was connected to his own in her excitement. Willow walked next to them, looking at their interaction with fondness.

Children, Jack had found, had the most untainted emotions. They were the easiest to understand for him, and he'd never found himself at a loss for what they were feeling. They were simple creatures, uninteresting and yet worth protecting.

The group stopped at a high-end clothing store and made their way inside. Weiss was quickly taken in by the clothes on display around them as she looked everywhere she could. Jack was content to simply watch, taking in his surroundings and the emotions of the people around him. While he looked, he got a sense that someone was watching them with killing intent.

He didn't react outwardly, continuing his slow turning as he looked around, while he focused on locking on to where that feeling was coming from. Those with Aura could tell when they were being watched, but that feeling was even more precise for Jack. He was no stranger to killing intent, and he was well-versed in stealth enough to know what to look for.

Willow's attention was taken by a store clerk who quickly began to ask her what she was looking for. Weiss meanwhile, seemed to spot something outside she liked as she began to wander back out the door. The timing was suspicious, and when he realized the thing that had caught Weiss' attention was a candy vendor pushing a cart, he almost laughed at how obvious the setup was.

"Weiss, slow down. I'll come with you," Jack said, taking her hand.

"Hurry, we're gonna lose the candy," She said, tugging him along and walking in front of him as she walked them out the door and began to head in the direction the vendor was going. 

Jack kept an eye out and quickly pinned down several presences who were watching them closely from various places in the crowd. As he walked, he quietly stole a line of thread from a vendor who knit dolls that were walking by. He placed it in his pocket, his heart beginning to pound as he grew more and more excited at what was to come. When his emotions reached a fever pitch, the many years spent with no outlet for his vices, he felt a new awakening overcome him.

'This is my semblance. I knew they could awaken in periods of heightened emotion, but to think this was what it took. And the ability, how fitting. I suppose our souls did unite, even if I force the matter.'

"Maybe they're down that alleyway," He suggested to Weiss, who quickly grew excited at the idea of catching up to them. She led him down the alley, which he knew wasn't where the vendor had gone. While her back was turned to him, Jack moved quickly. He hit Weiss sharply on her temple, causing her to collapse to the ground unconscious.

He caught her before she fell and set her gently on the ground, while he pulled the thread he had stolen earlier out of his pocket.

'Now to prepare.'

----

The White Fang hated the Schnee Dust Company, and the Schnee family in particular. Their people were treated like cattle, easy and cheap labor that Jacques Schnee and his family could discard whenever it suited them. When they'd caught sight of the Schnee Matriarch and two of her children out and about, it set their blood boiling. 

This all led to them putting a plan into motion. It was easy to lure out a child with candy, and the plan had gone off without a hitch as the small, four-person team tried to lead the two children into an alley. Unfortunately, it seemed the children had turned down the wrong one, so they'd regrouped quickly and the four of them made their way into the alley.

They were dressed as inconspicuously as possible, wearing ordinary clothes and a hat to cover up their Faunus traits. When they turned into the alley, they reached into their clothes and pulled out a white mask. They wanted these kids to know who it was they were dealing with.

They made their way further into the alley until they spotted the unconscious form of the girl.

"Something doesn't feel right," one of them said, cautiously looking at the girl from a distance.

"Who cares, that's the Schnee girl," another said, rushing forward in his excitement. The first man watched his partner run forward, the situation quickly devolved as his partner's aura shattered all of a sudden. Before any of them could react, lines of thread grew taunt in the alleyway and bisected the man clean in two.

"Who's there," one of the surviving three called out, looking around wildly. A faint chuckle echoed in the air as they whirled back to the entrance of the alleyway and found the Schnee boy standing there. His two eyes, one blue and one red, gleamed ominously in the dark alleyway. A dark red aura surrounded him and they could see the ends of the thread wrapped around each of his fingers.

"Now then, be sure to show me how beautiful your emotions can be," Jack said before he pulled his hands back. Aura channeled into the thread as the entire alleyway became a crisscrossed display of threads that left the White Fang members no room to escape. 

Jack's semblance functioned much like his Volundr did in Ragnarok. Any object that he touched with his aura was strengthened to the point it became a powerful weapon. He had set up the alleyway so that the thread was everywhere, the ends connected to his fingers to allow him to use his semblance.

He moved the thread like a puppeteer moved their strings, causing it to move in different directions and attack the three surviving terrorists. They tried to cut through the thread, but they couldn't succeed with their weapons. He could feel the drain on his aura reserves, but it was negligible for now and he quickly eliminated another two of the White Fang members. 

The last surviving member could only look at the boy in horror as he saw the manic grin on his face.

"You monster," were the last words he got out before he was killed as well, the threads cutting his head clean off his body. Jack relished the feeling, enjoying the way their souls became colored with fear as they met the end they never expected.

With his task complete, he stopped channeled his aura, and made his way back into the depths of the alley. He quickly wrapped parts of the terrorist's bodies with the thread, briefly strengthening it again so that he could embed it in the wall of the alley.

Once his task was done, he made his way towards Weiss and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulders. When he walked out of the alley, he tensed his fingers where the thread was still wrapped and caused the bodies of the White Fang members to be lifted into the air and put on display like marionettes.

'It feels so good to be back.'